Donna Karan Pics

Donna

Karan

02 October 1948

Ivy

Average

Brown - Dark

Faske

Forrest HIlls, New York

Libra

White

Jewish

DKNY

American

Female

Costume Designer

1

Donna Karan is the fashion designer and the creator of the DKNY (Donna Karan New York) clothing label. She was born Donna Ivy Faske on October 2, 1948 in Forest Hills, New York. She grew up in Woodmere, Long Island with her stepfather who was a tailor and her mother who was a model and started selling clothing on Cedarhurst, New York`s Central Avenue at age 14.[1] She graduated from Hewlett High School in 1966 and then went on to Parsons The New School for Design for two years. She left to work for Anne Klein. Eventually she became head of the Anne Klein design-team and remained in this position until 1989. At that time, she launched the Essentials line, and her legendary "Seven Easy Pieces." [2],[3] She married Mark Karan in the early 1970s. The European DKNY business was damaged in the early 1990s by poor quality and flawed logistics which resulted in the creation of a European supply center in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The company later announced to show their collection at the Milan fashion week in 1996 but later backed out again. Karan is the founder of many charities including, most recently, the Urban Zen initiative. On March 14 and 15 2008, Karan organized a huge sale of her personal belongings and vintage company samples at her late husband`s studio to benefit the cause. She has lived in Lawrence, Nassau County, New York. In mid-1997 Donna Karan quit as CEO of the company but has officially remained chairwoman and designer in charge of the Donna Karan line. Actually, the line these days is designed by Peter Speliopoulos, a talented former Cerruti designer, with Karan contributing little subtleties or even entire new creations. The DKNY line is entirely designed by Jane Chung, a Karan employee since the days at Anne Klein. Most merchandise is licensed. Liz Claiborne markets the DKNY Jeans and Active brands lines, and Estée Lauder is in charge for the cosmetics business. In 1997, Donna Karan signed licensing deals with Wacoal America for men`s and women`s DKNY intimate apparel, Esprit for DKNY children`s apparel, Phillips Van Heusen for DKNY men`s dress shirts, Mallory & Church for DKNY men`s ties and hosiery, Peerless Clothing for DKNY suits and sport coats, and Max Leather for belts and small leather goods. In 1998, things had turned for DKNY: a men`s dress shirt sells now for up to $125 while a Calvin Klein sportswear dress shirt is almost half. The couture Donna Karan Signature line for men, which was comparable to the men`s line of Calvin Klein Collection, has been pulled from the market. In November 2001, LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy) fashion giant completes the acquisition of DKNY Inc. in a $243 million deal. As of October 2006, Mark Weber is CEO of Donna Karan International. In August of 2008, Donna Karan relaunched her discontinued fragrance line from the 1990s. These include DK Fuel for Men, Signature, Chaos, and Black Cashmere. They are available exclusively in the United States at Bergdorf Goodman New York and in England at Harrods Knightsbridge.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_Karan

Hewlett High School

Parsons School of Design

www.donnakaran.com

Donna Ivy Karan

1

Donna Karan (born October 2, 1948) is an American fashion designer and the creator of the Donna Karan New York and DKNY clothing labels.

Actor/Actress

63